In the co-main event of UFC 158, top welterweight contenders Johny Hendricks and Carlos Condit left it all in the cage and engaged in an excellent war that went the distance. Condit was all over Hendricks every chance he got, catching him with huge punches, front kicks, and a plethora of knees. But he couldn’t stop the takedown, and that was the difference. Hendricks got a total of 12 takedowns in 15 minutes, and while Condit was able to get up from almost every one, the judges gave the nod to Hendricks with three 29-28 scores.
The win gives Hendricks (15-1, 10-1 UFC) an ironclad case for a title shot against Georges St. Pierre, while Condit (28-7, 5-3 UFC) has now lost two bouts in a row. Each men took home an additional $50,000 for winning the fight of the night bonus.
What was the high point of the fight?
Probably a moment in the second round when Condit landed a huge flying knee that looked brutal, but Hendricks just grabbed Condit as he was going back down and slammed him to the floor. Honestly though, there were a lot of high points.
Where do they go from here?
Hendricks is going straight into a title shot against Georges St. Pierre. When it will go down will depend on the status of Hendricks’ injured left hand. Dana White said that GSP’s next title defense would probably come in Las Vegas, but Johny said he’d be up for Montreal without a problem.
Unless Condit is matched up with Tarec Saffiedine, it’s very likely that the former WEC and interim UFC champ will be in a rematch next. Rory MacDonald is the leading candidate, but Martin Kampmann could definitely be across from him as well.
Watch now, later, or never?
Now. This is is my favorite fight of 2013 so far, and I think it will be yours as well.